Electric signaling system.



W. 1.. MILLER.

ELI-mmc SIGNAMNG SYSTEM. APPLIUATION IXLED JUNE 1G', 1011. 1,04%3'73tatented Oct. 8, 1912.

2 SHEETS'SHBET 1.

W. L. MILLER.

ELECTRIC SIGNALNG SYSTEM,

APPLIUATION FILED JUNI: 16, 1911 1,040,378. Patented Oct. 8, 1912.

2 BHBBTS-SHBBT 2.

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VVVILLIIAIVI L. MILLER, F MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 GISHOLTMACHINE COMPANY, OF MADISN,

WISCONSIN. A CORPGRATION OF WISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC SIGNALING SYSTEM.

Specification et' Letters Patent.

Yltatented Oct. 8, 1912.

Application tiled June 1S, 1911. Serial No. 633,479.

To all uf/0m 'it may concern Be it known, that i, VJLMAM L. Ivlinnnn, acitizen of the United States. residing at Madison, in. the county oiDane and State ot Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Signaling Systems, oit which the following is aspecilication. -Y

.This invention relates to the general art oi electric signalingdevices, and has reference more particularly to a device or systemapplicable and constituting an attachment. 4to automatic machines of anyand all kinds, such, for instance, as automatic lathes, to indicate, hya signal, to the operator when a given job has been completed hy theInachine.

The main .object of the invention is to render `more letlieient andeconomical the service by a single operator ot' a nlunher ot automaticmachines; and this the invention accomplishes by means of a reliable andimproved signaling mechanism which promptly notifies the operator theinstant the .machine has completed a joh and reuires the operatorsattention to remove the nished4 Work and supply a fresh blank or stock.

Another object of the invention is to provide a signaling system of thecharacter and for the purpose described such that, altcr the signal hasbeen given, the operation ot' opening the circuit to interrupt thesignal will put the system in condition to automatically signal Athecompletion o' the next joh on the saine machine.

The invention, its mode of use, and the advantages secured thereby willbe lmore readily understood when considered in conneetion with theIaccompanying drawings which iilustrate one practical embodimentthereof, and in which,-`

Figure .1 is a sectional view through a tion of the machine to which thesignaling' device is applied, more particularly showing themachine-actuated switch .and the actuating mechanism thereof. Fi. 2 is asectional View on the line 2-2 or Fig. 1. Fig.y 3 is e sectional detailon the line 3-3 ol Fig. 1 and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are diagrams of thesignal circuit and `parts contained therein.

Referring to the drawings, designates a shaft constituting either aconstantly or intermittently moving element of an automatic machine,such as an automatic lathe, to which is geared, by spiral gears l1 andif? on7 one of the side walls hed frame. Keyed on the outer end of shaft113 is a disk 1G, in one or more holes 17 of which is secured aninwardly projecting pin orpins 1S.

"Journaled in a hearingblock 19 secured to or integral with the wall ofthe frame is a rotary shaft Q0, conveniently confined against endwisedisplacement stud 21 engaging an annular groove 22 in said shaft. Theouter end of the shaft is given a star-wheel formation, the teeth orpoints Q3 oi" which are successively engaged by the pin or stud 1S asthe latter successively engages the starnvheel during the rotation ofthe disk 1G. The star-wheel is herein shown formed with six points orteeth, and-the (lisl: 16 is provided with a singie pin or stud 18, sothat, in the instance shown, the shaft 20 is given one-sixth of a turnat each complete revolution of the disk 1.6, but, ot' course, the numberof teeth or points on the starfwhcel 'and the number of actuatin pins orstuds may be varied as desired. ecured to the inner end of the shaft Q0by a binding-screw Q4, and suitably insulated from said shaft, is aswitch-blade E herein. shown as taking the form of a threepointed starhaving spring arms disposed one hundred and twenty degrees apart.Secured in and insulated from the frame adjacent to the inner end of theshaft 20 are two contact plugs or binding-posts 26 and 27, the Contactends of which lic in the paths of the free ends ot' the arms of theswiteh-blade 25, said contact plugs being disposed sixty degrees apartin the circular path of the free ends of the spring arms of theswitch-blade, so that the successive sixty degree turning movements ofthe shaft 20 a shaft 13 journaled in ahearing-boss 14` 15 of themaclnneby a threaded.

l5 may conveniently be included if desired),

a circuit wire 3G extending from the other pole ott the generator to acommon contact 31 of a manually operable switch, a pair of alternatelyoperative circuit branches 32 and connecting two individual contacts S-land'35 otsaid manually operable switch with the insulated contact plugs26 and Q7, respectively, and the switch-blade or bar 36 ot' saidmanually operable switch that is shittable to connect either ot theindividual contacts 34 and. with the common Contact :'51, as clearlyshown in Figs. 5 and 6. At any suitable or convenient point in the cir`cuit lines 2S or 30 (herein shown as in the latter) is interposed asignal, herein shown as a light 3T, but which, ot course, may be a bell,a horn, a light, a display target, or any electrically energizedsignaling device desired within the purview ot the invention.

The operation will be readily understood Afrom the foregoingdescription, Abut vmay be briefly described as tollows: Assuming thatthe circuit and circuit devices are as shown in Fig. 'l, it is manifestthat the` circuit is interrupted at the manually operable switch, and nosignal is displayed by the light 37. ',lhe machine having been startedin operation upon a given job, it continues in operation until the jobhas been completed,v at which time the dislel has made a completerotation, thereby, at the completion ot such rotation, ell'ecting aartial turning move- 'ment oit the shatt 2O uy the engagement oty thepin 1S with onrol the teeth 23 oit the star-wheel. This shifts theswitch-blade Q5 out of engagement with the contact 2T and brine the next,-iuccccding arm of the switchblade into engagement with the contact2li, as shown in Fig. 5, thereby closing the circuit and displaying thesignal at the lamp 25T. 'lhis notities the operator that the machine hascompleted its work. The operator then manually throws the switch-blade3G to the other position shown in Fig. 6, which opens the circuit,interrupts the signal, and at the same time primes the circuit tordisplay of the signal upon the completiol'i of the next job by theshitting ot the switch-blade 25 to the next position in which thecirc-uit is clot-:ed throiiigh the contact 2T and branch 33. it willthus be seen that, in the arrangement shown, the opening ot the circuitby Loaders the operator to cut out the signal sets or primes the systemfor the automatic display or sounding et the signal at the completion otthe nest job, which renders the manipulation of thesignaling systemonthe part of the operator a very simple matter. Of. course, the numberot teeth 2 3 on the starwheel of the switch-shaft 2O and the number etarms on the spring switch-blade E25 are immaterial, as is also thenumber of actuating pins or studs 18 carried by the disk 16 or theextent o t rotary movement of said disk between successive actuations ofthe switch-shaft 20, so long as the feature of the alternatingengagement ot the switch-blade 25 with the contacts 26 and 27 ispreserved in connection with a manually operable switch which'directsthe current alternately through the branches 32 and 83 of the circuit.

l claim 1- l. .ln an electric signaling system tor application toautomatic machines, the combination ot a switch comprising a rotaryswitch-blade actuated always in the same d1- rection from a moving partof the machine and two contact-s alternately engaged by saidswitch-blade, an electric circuit connected at one end to saidswitch-blade and connected at its other end, by alternately operativebranches, to said contacts, respectively a. generator and a signal insaid circuit, and a manually operable switch in said circuit adapted torender either of said. contacts and branches operative in the circuit,substantially as described.

ln an electric signaling system for application to automatic machines,the combination ol a switch@ comprising a rotary switch-bladeintermittently actuated always in the same direction from a moving partof the machine and two contacts alternately engaged by saidswitch-blade, a manually operable switch having two individual contactsand a common contact andl a switchblade shi ttable to connect cit-her ofsaid individual. contacts with said common contact, circuit wiresconnecting said first-named contacts with the indivi manually operableswitch, respectively, a circuit wire connecting said common contact withsaid machine-actuated switch-blade, and a generator and signaloperatively connected in said last named circuit wire, substantially asdescribed.

3. ln an electric signaling system for apdualcontacts ot said l movablemember, an insulated switcl1-blude carried by said rotary shaft, twoinsulated contacts alternately engaged by said switchblade, an electricclrcuit connected nt one end to said switch-blade and connected at itsother end, by alternately operative branches,to said insulated contacts,respectively, a, generator and a signal in said. cr-

cuit, and u manually operable switch in said circuit adapted to rendereither of said in- 10 sulated contacts and branches operative in thecircuit, substantially as described.

WILLIAM L. MILLER. lVtnesses RALPH J. MILLER, M. E. (oECKs.

